August 17, 2008

The outbreak of a deadly armed conflict in the Caucasus is not only ahumanitarian disaster which has already cost some 2,000 lives, butposes a very real threat of wider wars in the region. Imperialism'spreparations and aggressions in Georgia are sparks that can eventuallyignite a much larger conflagration, demanding the sharpestcondemnation of the international labour movement and all peace andanti-imperialist forces.

Unhindered by a strong socialist bloc of countries, imperialistcountries led by the US in the NATO military alliance are usingGeorgia to prepare future aggressions, in violation of the basicprinciples of international law such as those in the United NationsCharter.

The Communist Party of Canada condemns the Georgian invasion on August7, including bombing raids on residential areas, hospitals, andschools in the South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali, as an unprovokedassault which plunged the Caucasus into war. We give full support tocalls from many countries for the complete withdrawal of Georgianforces from South Ossetia as a first step towards a peaceful solutionto this conflict, which must not be allowed to expand into all-outconfrontation in the Middle East and Central Asia.

We also note that contrary to claims by much of the western media andby the Bush regime, this is not a case of "Russian aggression." Thesource of rising tensions in the Caucasus is not the presence ofRussian troops, which entered South Ossetia in the early 1990s aspeacekeepers after Georgia attempted to forcibly annex the area,driving much of the population across the border into North Ossetia,which remained within Russia.

The real origin of this conflict lies in the US/NATO imperialistpolicies of expansionism. For decades, starting with the Cold War, theUS has sought to place a military ring around its rival, underminingallies of the Soviet Union and later Russia, and imposing so-called"pro-Western" regimes which allow US bases on their soil and relyheavily on US military cooperation and support. Recalling the Naziinvasion which cost their country over twenty million lives, Russiastrongly opposes such imperialist encirclement.

This is the case with Georgia, which became a U.S. client state at thetime of the illegal NATO war against Yugoslavia in 1999. Israel, themain U.S. ally in the region, has also forged close political andeconomic links with the Georgian government. The high level ofUS/NATO/Israeli/Georgian military integration makes it clear that theAugust 7 aggression must have been known in advance and approved bythe Bush and Olmert governments. Bolstering this view is the decisionon August 9 by the United States to provide military transportaircraft to fly many of Georgia's 2,000-strong troop contingent out ofIraq to join the fighting at home.

The imperialist drive to plunder oil and other vital resources is akey factor in destabilization of the region. Notably, theBaku-Tblisi-Ceyhan pipeline brings oil and gas through Georgia to theEastern Mediterranean, including a large part of Israel's oil importsfrom Azerbaijan. Controlled by British Petroleum and built with USsupport, the BTC pipeline is a vital piece of the military-politicalbloc including Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey and Israel, which the USconsiders a vital counter-balance against the influence of Russia andChina in the region.

In the wake of the US/UK war against Iraq and the continuing effortsby the occupation forces to turn over Iraq's vast oil wealth to thetransnational corporations, nobody should underestimate the desire ofthe ultra-right clique around Bush, Cheney and other Republican hawksto use events in the Middle East and Central Asia to further thisstrategic push. Seen in this context, Georgia's aggression againstSouth Ossetia, which quickly met powerful Russian resistance, may havebeen a provocation to create better conditions for expansion of theUS/ NATO military presence in the area.

The Caucasus war could also influence the US presidential election, bytilting voter support towards Republican candidate John McCain. It isnot a stretch to wonder if these events may be intended to help laythe groundwork for a US strike against Iran, with the long-range goalof imperialist seizure of that country's oil reserves. Such an attackwould unleash a war of unforeseeable dimensions, costing millions oflives and spreading far beyond the borders of the Middle East.

In pursuit of its aim of global hegemony, imperialism is playing withfire, and Georgia's latest aggression is part of this wider pattern.The Communist Party of Canada urges full support for internationalattempts to contain and extinguish this conflict, and for an end toall imperialist meddling in the Caucasus.

Issued by the Central Executive Committee

Communist Party of Canada

August 14, 2008

August 16, 2008

The YCL BC successfully held a weekend summer camp at a beautiful lakenear Merritt. Comrades discussed Reform and Revolution, and action forthe BC YCL over the next year. Comrades came from Vancouver, Burnaby,the Lower Mainland, and Trail BC. See the facebook group for photos!

The YCL-LJC is in the process of getting a new website. In a fewmonths we will launch our new site, which will allow for more regularupdates of the main page and other cool features! If you have commentsor suggestions for the new site, please send them to the CentralExecutive, c/o johan@ycl-ljc.ca

YCL Ontario is organizing a fall school for early September for newmembers. The school is planned to be held in Hamilton, at SolidarityHouse, a hall run by the Communist Party, working with the FMLN andfriends in the local labour movement and other peoples groups.

This summer Marianne Breton Fontaine, Quebec Organizer, together withJohan Boyden, General Secretary of the YCL, traveled across thecountry visiting most clubs of the league. Marianne gave a short talkabout developments in Quebec student politics since the last issue ofRebel Youth, when an article appeared discussing this issue.

YOUTH FESTIVAL UPDATE

The World Festival of Youth and students is moving forward -- but itis a little uncertain where the next festival will be and when thedate is. This is the news from a summer meeting of the InternationalUnion of Students and the World Federation of Democratic Youth. Due tofinancial reasons, the youth festival committee in Belarus was forcedto withdraw their application, leaving India as a possible host. Stayposted! More information will follow.

Two years ago, when Mubin Shaikh first went public with his tale ofanti-terror espionage, he was candid about his compensation. He toldCanadians the RCMP paid him a cool $300,000 to spy on the "Toronto18," a group of young, tough-talking Muslims who liked to camp in thesnow (and allegedly plot jihad). But Shaikh insisted, over and over,that cash was not his motivation. He went undercover to protect hiscountry and his religion, not to line his pockets. "I didn't do it forthe money," he said shortly after the arrests. "I'm not going tonegotiate with the lives of Canadians."

Today, Mubin Shaikh is ready to negotiate. Canada's most famousinformant — the public face of the nation's largest-ever terrorismtrial — is asking for a $2.4-million raise.

In a two-page letter addressed to the Mounties, Shaikh vows to abideby a long list of conditions in exchange for the hefty, "no tax"payment ($2.7 million, minus the $300,000 he's already received). Hispromises include no more media interviews, no more drug use, and nobook or movie deals. The 32-year-old also pledges to "aggressivelydefend the evidence and vocally support the role of the agenciesinvolved" in the case, including the RCMP and CSIS, Canada's spyagency. "This document is intended to be a formal request for furthercompensation that is 'deserved and proportional' to my involvement" inthe investigation, Shaikh writes.

The note contains no explicit threats. Shaikh, a married father offive, does not go so far as to say he will abandon the case if thecops don't cave. However, one of his proposed conditions is a promisenot to "bring any legal action against the RCMP/CSIS."

The authorities have yet to respond to Shaikh's letter, but this muchappears certain: police and prosecutors are growing increasinglyimpatient with their prized informant. The timing of his extravagantdemand was especially bold. Shaikh sent his note to the Mounties onJune 9, just days before his widely publicized testimony at the trialof a teenager charged in connection with the bust. "It certainly makesa mockery of his 'I'm not doing this for the money' line," says lawyerMichael Moon, who represents Steven Chand, one of 10 adults stillfacing charges. "The Crown's devout, patriotic witness keeps on uppinghis price, depending on what trial he's at."

Indeed, this is the second time Shaikh has requested a pay hike. Inthe early stages of the investigation, he happily accepted $77,000 toinfiltrate the group. He bugged his minivan, befriended one of thealleged leaders, and famously joined the suspects on a two-week wintercamping trip that prosecutors now believe was the genesis of asophisticated plot to detonate truck bombs in downtown Toronto. But inJune 2006, days after the high-profile raids, Shaikh went back to theRCMP and asked them to boost his reward to an even $300,000. Theyagreed.

Two years later, it's hard to imagine a repeat outcome. Despite hisundeniable charm and outspoken disdain for aspiring terrorists, Shaikhis proving to be as much of a Crown liability as an asset. As starwitnesses go, he has become more star than witness. Since the arrests,he has outed himself on national TV, proclaimed the innocence of someof the accused, snorted cocaine on the taxpayers' dime, and pleadedguilty to threatening two 12-year-old girls. During his recenttestimony at the youth trial, he also sparred with prosecutor JohnNeander, who took the rare step of declaring Shaikh a hostile witnessand grilling him on some alleged inconsistencies in his statements.Simply put, the Crown accused its own hired mole of fudging facts toprotect the defendant. A few days later, Shaikh went one step further,telling reporters the teenage suspect deserves to be acquitted.

And now, after all that, Mubin Shaikh wants more cash — more than 30times the dollar figure he originally agreed to. "You have to beconcerned about the motives of an informant whose sole source ofincome has been taxpayer money," says defence lawyer Dennis Edney,whose client, Fahim Ahmad, faces more charges than any of the accused."And if Mr. Shaikh is asking for more money, then it causes furtherconcern that his sole motivation in giving evidence is financialrewards."

This case, of course, already has a controversial history of financialrewards. A second informant, an unidentified businessman who is nowhiding in the witness protection program, was paid at least $4.1million for his covert assistance — and only after the Mounties talkedhim down from his original offer of $15 million. At the time, Shaikhhad no idea the other spy existed, let alone the fact he was beingpaid millions of dollars. After the raids, when he did find out,Shaikh claimed to have no regrets. "I've got no complaints," he saidin February 2007. "I'm not thinking: 'Oh damn, I should have askedthem for more.' Nope. I'm happy with everything."

So what changed? Why is he suddenly so anxious to fatten his bankaccount by $2.4 million? His answer is typical Shaikh: self-assured,unequivocal, and rife with references to the Quran. "My response issimple," he said, when contacted by Maclean's. "This case is huge. Itis history being made — legal history, Canadian history and Islamichistory — and the burden it has on a person is great."

Shaikh insists — again — that money had nothing to do with hisoriginal decision to become a police agent. "A person who does thingsfor money, money is the number one thing right from the beginning," hesays. "But when I went into the first negotiation I didn't go anywherenear a lot of a money. At the time, I had no idea what this was goingto entail." Only now, Shaikh says, does he realize the fullramifications of his co-operation. "This has shaped the rest of mylife. The next 10 years are going to revolve around this stuff. It hasbecome a full-time job, and I would like to know who in the courtroomis there free of charge. I'm sure the judge is not there because ofhis love for justice. I'm sure the media isn't there because of theright for the public to know. And the lawyers aren't there becausethey're crusading for justice. Everybody is there for a dollar."

Shaikh wants to be clear: he is not giving the RCMP an ultimatum. Ifthe force doesn't pay him another dime, he'll still show up to testifywhenever the adult suspects reach trial (or trials). "That will neverchange," he says. "I am ordered by Allah to do the right thing, totell the truth." He still believes in the evidence, and he stillbelieves that most of the accused deserve to spend many more yearsbehind bars. But he also believes that his own time and effort — justnot his opinions — should come at a fair price. "I do feel that Ideserve more," he says. "Basically, the money is for me because Ididn't go into witness protection. What if I need to relocate the restof my family because my house is known? The cops wouldn't even put adeadbolt lock in my apartment. What makes you think they're going todo anything?"

Though he is careful with his words, Shaikh is clearly frustrated withthe RCMP. "I don't think the police take me as seriously as theyshould," he says. "I don't think they realize the resource that I am.I'm only interested in increasing their intelligence-gathering andcrime-prosecuting abilities. That is my goal, because the last thing Iwant is for them to not do it properly, get to court, and have itfizzle out." In fact, Shaikh says he's no longer angry that Neanderattacked him on the stand; if anything, the episode proved he iscommitted to telling the truth, not following the government's script."I work with the police, not for the police."Still, Shaikh knows what's coming. He has no doubt that many in theMuslim community, including some of the suspects' families, will cursehim yet again. The money-hungry traitor needs to buy more coke tosnort up his nose. He smiles at the thought. "Those people areterrorist cheerleaders," he says. "Frankly, I don't give a rodent'sbuttocks what the community thinks — or anybody else. People who dothe right thing should not be swayed by what people say or what peoplethink, because the right thing is the right thing. And if the wholecommunity says it's not the right thing, then the whole community iswrong."

SEE A REVOLUTION IN MOTION

Past YCL Statements

Join the struggle!

The Young Communist League of Canada is a marxist-leninist organization of youth who struggle for socialism and work to build a strong youth and student movement.

We are a multi-ethnic organization of young workers, employed and unemployed, young women and men. We work in movements for peace and democracy and against racism, sexism homophobia, national oppression and destruction of our environment.

We work in our unions and workplaces for better wages, and in our high schools for democratic and equal education, our colleges, universities and trade schools for accesibility. We bring forth these viewpoints through our League's agitational magazine, Rebel Youth.

We work together for a Canada without exploitation where the workers hold all political, social and economic power. We recognize that since youth are the future, we must play a vital role in fighting for socialism.